Bengals' Jordan Willis bulked up without losing speed this offseason

The idea Jordan Willis will start for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 keeps gaining momentum.

Willis had a hard time etching out playing time for himself as a rookie last year. This had more to do with the depth on the team than Willis as a player, though coaches came to love his ability against the run.

This offseason Willis has been hard at work making sure coaches have him first on the depth chart, in large part because he’s bulked up to 280 pounds without losing speed, per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Paul Dehner Jr., who cited the team’s GPS tools for the speed measurements.

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Better size with similar speed will only help Willis against the run on early downs. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and the coaching staff want to see Willis improve as a pass rusher, which should come in time as he continues to refine his craft.

Primarily used to set the edge, another step up in play from Willis doesn’t prohibit usage for others, as the coaches want to get Carl Lawson involved all over the field and use Michael Johnson as a rusher from the middle, where he flashed a year ago.

Quietly, Willis is becoming a critical part of what the Bengals want to accomplish up front and he’s matching the expectations in as many ways as possible before camp.